Minnesota Man Facing Prosecution for Faking His Death

Minneapolis (KROC AM News) - A Minnesota man who is accused of faking his own death so he could collect a $2-million life insurance payment was arraigned in federal court this week.

US Attorney Erica MacDonald of Minneapolis says 54-year-old Igor Vorotinov was indicted in 2015 but was apparently hiding in the Republic of Moldova in Europe. He was apprehended there last week and extradited to the U.S. on Nov 17.

MacDonald says Vorotinov’s wife Irina and their son Alkon were also involved in the scam. His wife actually went to Moldova in 2011 to identify a body as that of her husband. She then had the body cremated, held a funeral in Minneapolis and filed the insurance claim.

Between 2012 and 2015, most of the money was transferred to accounts in Switzerland and Moldova. Apparently, the family came under suspicion because as the son was returning to the U.S. from a trip to Moldova in 2013, his laptop was seized and agents found recent photographs of his father.

Vorotinov’s wife and son later pleaded guilty. The wife was sentenced to 3 years in prison while the son was placed on probation and both were ordered to repay the insurance money.

There is no word on the true identity of the body identified by Vorotinov’s wife.